1, is pristiq even used for anxiety? i went on the website and read NOTHING that said GAD/panic.
2. my doc said i can just cut my klonopin dosage back to .25 mg am/pm today. no need to taper down since its only been 2 weeks? im not too sure about that? should i just taper down anyways, and if so how do i do it?
thanks for any help!
Only thing to worry about with snris is they are stimulating because of their effect on norepeniphrine, so they're not usually used if anxiety is the main problem. If anxiety is the result of depression, that's a different story. Also, Pristiq is basically Effexor, so if the Effexor gave you problems, you might want to think about taking what is mostly the same thing updated to get more patent protection, kind of like Celexa and Lexapro. Not exactly the same drug, but very similar.
Hi jethrosmom2784,
I'm not familiar with the drug Pristiq. I'm assuming it was your doctor who
prescribed Pristiq for you. If it's not working for you, only your doctor can
help you wean off this drug safely. As with any drug prescribed by a doctor,
it is essential that you not stop this drug by yourself . That can be very
dangerous. My best advice is to go back to your famly doctor. Tell him
or her that you feel Pristiq is not working for you.
Sweetie, I wouild get a second opinion. What kind of doctor is prescribing the Pristiq? A psychiatrist? Do you have a neurologist? If not, I would advise asking for a referral to one, to get clarification on what to do to manage the aneurysms and what kind of med you would "need" to be on.
Let us know!
Not that I'm an expert by any means, but, if you're having panic attacks, you may want to talk with your physician about Klonopin. Klonopin is a medication specifically designed for panic attacks. It's my understanding (I could be wrong) that Ativan is a drug that is used for short-term use only. I take Effexor XR, and I tried Pristiq, and didn't find that it was any better than Effexor XR. They are essentially the same medication.
I'm thinking about talking to my PCP about going back on an anti-depressant medication. My dysthymia (chronic depression) is getting the best of me, and I'm nearly to the point that I don't really want to do anything anymore.
I've taken Effexor in the past, and it seemed to work well for me, but I really don't like the sexual side effects.
What is pristiq? I haven't heard of that one. Effexor sounds like too great a risk for you, if you read about people on it it's extremely hard to get off of and has loads of side effects. The psychiatrists I've seen use it only if all else fails. It's supposed to be even harder to quit than Paxil, and has a lot of complaints about terrible side effects. Why just those two? Also a question: are beta blockers not an option for you?
What ssris and snris do is delay this excretion, washing the neurons in used serotonin far longer than what the body does naturally. This causes other serotonin receptors to shut down as they're no longer needed; part of the withdrawal of going off these meds are those receptors reawakening because they're again needed.
So I was reading through here and everyone seems so supportive that I decided to reach out for the first time. I am 26 and have battled depression, ocd and adhd my whole life. Used to cut myself, attempted sucide at 16 and was just destructive. Went through the whole med thing, felt overmedicated and stopped. Did ok, even better after my daughter was born and been ok for the last 5 years. Well, everything then fell apart and I feel like if it wasn't for my daughter I would just end it.
As for this combination, trazadone is very sedating, while Pristiq is known for being stimulating. Because both affect serotonin, there can be some people who suffer from too much targeting of the same neurotransmitter with different drugs. Trazadone is so sedating it's often used for its side effect to help people sleep.
t be as bad. Pristiq has been working for me just as well as the Effexor did, if that is any help to you. I think my depression stems from physical issues, so drugs can only do so much for me, but it does take away the lows I tend to feel. Good luck with it. One thing that did happen when I went on, and I don't know if this is related or not, but my blood pressure has been strangely low. I even fainted a few times.
s for just anxiety, an snri might not be the best way to go because of its targeting of norepinephrine. That is usually used when the main problem is depression. So is Abilify, which is undergoing a huge advertising campaign right now and I notice posts popping up with people taking it. However, even the ads specify that it's only to be used when all else has failed for depression, and is mainly an augmentation drug, to be used in addition to other meds.
Tsh doesn't actually test your thyroid. If that's all your doc is testing, you haven't yet had a thyroid test. The only way to know is to get regular monitoring of your T4 and T3 and make certain your thyroid is functioning properly. While Tsh can indicate a problem with the thyroid that indicates a need for further testing, it isn't in itself a test of the thyroid. I think it tests the pituitary gland. As for those DNA tests, they are useless.
But I think this drug is more like an ssri than an snri, which is what effexor and pristiq are. Keep in mind effexor and pristiq are almost identical drugs, with pristiq just eliminating some of the molecules in order hopefully to reduce side effects but mostly to get new patent protection. It's like Celexa and Lexapro. This class of drugs is stimulating as it targets norepinephrine as well as serotonin, and is usually not used for primary anxiety as a result.
First of all, is the doctor a geriatric psychiatrist? I'm guessing not, as Pristiq isn't for anxiety, it's a stimulating antidepressant. It's also very hard to stop taking. When it works for anxiety it's usually because the cause is depression -- this class of drugs targets norepinephrine as well as serotonin, and the former is basically adrenaline.
I did not have any of the sweating or dry mouth, but that may be because I have been on an SNRI for awhile and my body was used to it. I think Pristiq (50mg) is great so far and plan to stay on it. I continue to be able to put things into perspective. I can "turn off" the worry and think about things later rather than ruminating on things constantly and losing sleep over stuff that turns out to be okay. Cognitive therapy that I had in the past also helped tremendously .
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